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The Library Book Susan Orlean Books

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The Library Book Susan Orlean Books

I suppose mine is a minority opinion. It was tough plowing through this overwritten book. No note card failed to find its way into this book, and no fact was too tangential to include. The author's use of first-person narration and her (to my mind) sentimental and juvenile observations on this or that were cloying. If one wants to know nearly every conceivable fact about the LA library system and its history and many of its staff, this is the place to look. Students of arson may also find pages of interest here. This general reader -- who loves and is interested in libraries as institutions -- was disappointed.


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The Library Book Susan Orlean Books Reviews

Susan Orlean is a stupendous researcher and writer who has the ability to make virtually any subject interesting. In THE LIBRARY BOOK she has taken on--no spoiler here--the topic of libraries. The centerpiece of her narrative is the catastrophic 1986 fire that turned Los Angeles' main library into a smoldering ruin. Arson was suspected and a wannabe actor by the name of Harry Peaks, the suspect.

In crafting her book, Orlean goes down many a rabbit hole. The reader, learns, for example, that "The Nazis destroyed an estimated hundred million books during their twelve years in power." Some meanders are, however, more interesting than others--some of her side trips to LA branch libraries, or example, or fleshed out descriptions of past librarians. Were it not for the occasional snooze of a literary side trip,, I would have give the book five Starrs.

The quality of Orleans' writing never strays from outstanding. "Writing a book, just like building a library, is an act of sheer defiance," she writes. "It is a declaration that you believe in the persistence of memory." And also, "Books are a sort of cultural DNAA, the code for whom, as a. society we are, and what we know." I could on, quoting from almost every page.

I read the book before it's on-sale date thanks to Vine, but I imagine it will find many readers.
I feel that the promos and reviews I read about this book were false advertising. I was looking for a mystery with a little library background and instead got 350+ pages of library history. The book was very boring and I would not recommend it.
I would have never believed that libraries could be so fascinating. In addition to informing us of all the library’s multi-faceted dimensions, Orlean tells the riveting story of the fire that destroyed the LA Library and the search for who or what started it. Beautifully written.
I was a bit skeptical at first - most non fiction tends to get tedious and dry at some point in the book. But this was fantastic, and more than ever I want to explore my own public library! The author’s prose is captivating and I was drawn into the story of the library fire and her conclusions of what may have happened. Well worth it!
SPOILER ALERT. In Chapter 5, the author burns a book. In a story of a devastating fire in a library, seven hundred thousand books destroyed, librarians crying and exhausted volunteers, the author burns a book to see how it feels. What? Assuming she had editors, how was this chapter left in? I don’t understand.
Just not that interesting. I'm actually not that interested in the detailed history and personalities in the history of the Los Angeles Public Library system. The chapters jumped around in time. I found myself skimming ahead often. I gave up 2/3 of the way through in search of a more interesting read that would hold my interest. The stellar sounding blurbs from other writers are WAY overblown. I suggest checking this book out from the library rather than shelling out the buck for a dull hardback read.
This is a terrific book, Susan Orlean at her considerable best. Her only peer for nonfiction is John McPhee, in my opinion. If you are a reader, you probably already have a profound attachment to and curiosity about libraries and librarians. Orlean's book will satisfy your curiosity and reaffirm your attachment.

This book has her signature combination of threads that add up to a whole we hear about the horrendous fire at the LA main library, we trace the early history of the library and its colorful head librarians, we hear about the issues that face libraries today (homeless users) and we hear about the puzzling self-contradictory man who was accused of but probably did not start the library fire. Orleans knows that people like to read about other interestisng people, so she switches among library staff, the arson suspect and his family, and current library staff.

She also knows that people like to get the inside story about institutions and places we mostly see from the outside as customers or users. So we get plenty of both. Sure you probably knew that being able to reserve books over the Internet vastly increased the resources devoted to shipping books from branch to branch, but Orlean makes it concrete by visiting the LA library shipping facility. And so on. As with Orlean, there's not a word out of place or a non-telling detail.

So if you care about libraries at all, this is the book for you. Perhaps introducing each chapter with a few catalog entries (I almost said catalog cards, but there are no such things any more) is a bit cute, but it doesn't really get in the way. And if you thought her previous book about Rin Tin Tin wasn't up to her best, don't worry. This one definitely is.
I suppose mine is a minority opinion. It was tough plowing through this overwritten book. No note card failed to find its way into this book, and no fact was too tangential to include. The author's use of first-person narration and her (to my mind) sentimental and juvenile observations on this or that were cloying. If one wants to know nearly every conceivable fact about the LA library system and its history and many of its staff, this is the place to look. Students of arson may also find pages of interest here. This general reader -- who loves and is interested in libraries as institutions -- was disappointed.